Stephon Clark’s Fiancée Says She Was Blindsided By DA Using Personal Text Messages In Press Conference

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — During the hour and a half press conference where District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced she would not file criminal charges against the officers who shot Stephon Clark, Schubert discussed new facts about the days leading up to when Clark was shot.

This was the first time Clark’s phone records have been released and discussed with the public.

“Our job in truth is to look at all the facts. If we’re going to do our job correctly we’re going to consider all the facts even the ones that are deeply personal. Even the ones that may be deeply intimate. And even the ones that may be uncomfortable for us to talk about,” Schubert said.

Those facts included Clark being involved in a domestic violence incident with the mother of his children, Salena Manni. That was 48 hours before the shooting.

Schubert said the incident was weighing heavily on his mind. She also said Clark searched ways to commit suicide. Clark reportedly called Manni 76 times within 12 hours and texted her a picture of his hand holding a Xanax, asking to fix their family.

“It was insensitive to put all of his information out there for the entire world to see. Shame on you DA Schubert. You should be ashamed of yourself. We expect more. We demand more & we will continue to fight for more for the city of Sacramento,” a leader said.

Reporters did ask the DA if the officers involved had their cellphone records pulled, and if the review panel looked their state of mind leading up to the shooting since Clark’s was investigated. Schubert said that did not happen.

Manni spoke to the public for the first time on Saturday afternoon. She referred to Clark as her fiancée and focused much of the press conference on their children.

“Our boys, Aiden and Cairo, have to grow up without their father. And I have to continue on as a single parent without Stephon,” Manni said.

It was noted that Manni was not invited to speak to the District Attorney before the press conference Saturday. Reverend Shane Harris, the President of the People’s Alliance of Justice, said Manni was blindsided by the public display personal text messages by Schubert.

“What I feel the DA announced today was not about what happened on March 16, was not about happened on March 17th, it was what happened on March 18th, the day officers murdered my fiancé, murdered Stephon Clark. 33 That’s what this is about. Not about anything that happened before that. It’s about the officers who murdered him. Murdered him because he had a cell phone in his hand. And now he’ll never come back to us,” Manni said.

Other representatives at the press conference with Manni spoke about the effect Clark’s death has had on his children, saying that the two young boys will have to grow up “defending their father” instead of loving their father.

The family of Stephon Clark filed a federal civil rights lawsuit that seeks $20 million from City of Sacramento in January.

And in another part of the city, protestors gathered outside of the Sacramento Police Headquarters. The protestors chanted, held signs, and burned thin blue line flags as they stood in the parking lot of the headquarters.